We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Valdes and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Laura, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Valdes Language Services helps community-focused organizations and companies bridge the language gap with multilingual communities with our high-quality interpretation and translation services.
With over a decade of experience in translation and interpreting, along with my background as a language services coordinator at a local regional agency in San Diego and previously at a Washington D.C.-based non-profit organization, I founded Valdes Language Services, confident in my ability to deliver high-quality translation and interpretation solutions.
I grew up in a home where four languages were spoken: English, Spanish, Urdu, and Punjabi, Although I only spoke two of the languages at home, I was intrigued by learning languages and ensuring that everyone around me understood what was being said.
Many immigrants and children of immigrants can relate to being their family’s default interpreter and translator as a child. This is called child language brokering.
Growing up in New York City, I interpreted and translated for my Colombian grandparents, who didn’t speak English, and my Pakistani stepfather, who didn’t speak Spanish.
Facilitating communication has always been my passion and I would often help my mom with her English whether that was written or spoken.
Learning that San Diego is home to nearly 100 spoken languages, with over 10 designated as “Safe Harbor” languages, has fueled my commitment to facilitate language access in the city. It’s always been a goal of mine to ensure that all residents and visitors in San Diego have access to the resources, services, and opportunities available to them via language access.
What should our readers know about your business?
I’m a linguist with 14 years of interpreting and translating experience. I founded Valdes Language Services with the goal of bridging the language gap in San Diego, California.
Raised in a multicultural household in Queens and Brooklyn, NY, as the eldest daughter of Colombian immigrants and a Pakistani stepfather, I’m fluent in Spanish and English.
The WHY behind my passion for the work that I do is that I care deeply about helping people communicate well.
I’m trained in Interpreting for Social Justice and completed Translation and Interpretation studies at the City University of New York Hunter College.
This led me to interpret at national and international events, summits, and conferences.
My deep passion lies in learning languages and ensuring universal communication access.
When I was younger, an obstacle I faced with language learning was not being able to fully understand Urdu or Punjabi, which is what my stepfather’s family spoke. He did try to teach me some words and phrases in Punjabi and Urdu. I later learned that listening to music in other languages is a helpful memorization tool. It makes the learning process more fun!
With over a decade of experience, Valdes Language Services specializes in delivering high-quality in-person, phone, video, and hybrid interpretation services and providing written translation services for digital and print materials.
We offer services in various languages, including ASL, Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, Tagalog, Korean, and French.
Ready to bridge the language gap and elevate your communication efforts? Contact us today to discuss how Valdes Language Services can meet your interpretation and translation needs. Let’s break down language barriers together and unlock new opportunities for connection and understanding.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite place in San Diego is Windensea Beach.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am grateful for all of the local resources that are available to entrepreneurs and business owners, including SCORE, SBDC, and APEX mentors, as well as accelerators and programs, including the free business classes at the San Diego College of Continuing Education, the American Translators Association (ATA), Empower by BBB and GoDaddy, Mission Edge, the San Diego Tourism Authority DEI Accelerator program, Luminary, the San Diego Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. I am also deeply grateful for all the support I’ve received from other local entrepreneurs. I’ve found that joining supportive entrepreneur communities can be very helpful since we’re in this journey together. Last, but not least, I am grateful for all of my amazing clients, my partner, family and friends.
Website: https://vlanguageservices.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valdes_language_services/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/valdes-language-services-llc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valdeslanguageservices/
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/valdes-language-services-san-diego
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIjYr0oDXbJA-l-VR6xo1lA